Friday, May 30, 2014

I tried this recipe today for breakfast. The pancakes are fluffy and taste delicious! The original recipe was found on this site.serves 8 ( 2 pancakes = 5 points +)

1 c .fresh blueberries

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. sugar

zest of one lemon

2 eggs

2 c. low-fat buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine flour with next five ingredients ( through sugar). Place blueberries in a small bowl and toss with 3 T. flour mixture.In another bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and lemon zest. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberry mixture. Let stand 5 minutes.Heat a nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Add batter by 1/4 cupfuls. Cook until golden brown on one side, flip and cook until done. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with syrup if desired.

Boil pasta; drain.Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook until tomatoes soften. Place pasta and zucchini mixture in a large bowl and toss to coat. Season pasta with additional salt and pepper as needed. Top with dollops of ricotta and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

A great pasta salad to serve with any Mexican dish or grilled entree.Serves 8 ( about 3/4 c. = 5 points +)

1 c. uncooked orzo pasta

1 c. frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

24 grape tomatoes, halved

3 green onions, sliced

1 ( 15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. low-fat buttermilk

3 T. chopped, fresh cilantro, divided

3 T. fresh lime juice

2 T. fat-free sour cream

2 T. light mayonnaise

1 tsp. chili powder

salt

pepper

1 tsp. crushed garlic

1 peeled, diced avocado

1 T. fresh, chopped parsley

Cook pasta; drain and rinse in cold water. Place orzo, corn and next 3 ingredients ( through beans) in a large bowl; toss.Combine buttermilk, 2 T. cilantro and next 7 ingredients ( through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over orzo mixture; toss. Gently stir in avocado. Garnish with remaining 1 T. cilantro and 1 T. parsley.adapted from "Cooking Light"

Easy and quick~ you will love this recipe! It is perfect for summertime grilling! I made this recipe with an orzo and black bean salad, fruit salad, and green lettuce salad.Serves 4 ( 3 oz. steak and about 3T. sauce = 4 points+)

1 ( 1 lb. ) flank steak

salt and pepper

1/4 c. fat-free sour cream

1 T. light mayonnaise

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

1 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. chopped, fresh cilantro

1 T. chopped, fresh parsley

Preheat grill. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Remove and let stand 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with steak.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

I love recipes that are versatile. These muffins are perfect for a light breakfast, a snack or as an accompaniment to a light lunch or dinner.

Makes 24 muffins ( 2 points + each)

1-1/3 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

2/3 c. shredded zucchini

3 T. canola oil

2 T. butter, melted

2 T. skim milk

1 tps. vanilla

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray mini muffin pans with nonstick spray.
Combine flour and next five ingredients ( through allspice) in a large bowl.
Combine zucchini and next 5 ingredients ( through egg) in a small bowl;
Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture, stirring batter until just combined. Divide batter evenly among 24 mini muffin cups. Bake 8-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

This yummy German recipe is quick to make and very satisfying! Traditional schnitzel is made with veal, but pork or chicken are also great substitutes and are easier on the budget!Serves 8 ( 7 points +)

Combine buttermilk and egg in a shallow dish. In another dish, combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add 1 T. olive oil. Working in batches, dip four pork chops in buttermilk mixture, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place in skillet and cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 T. olive oil and remaining chops. Serve with lemon wedges.

While looking for a dessert recipe to go with a German-themed dinner I was making, I came across this from "Allrecipes.com". I have adapted it slightly. Kuchen is the German word for kitchen and often refers to this coffeecake-type treat. The recipe was easy to make and everyone loved it. I did serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. I am listing this recipe as 12 servings with each serving being 4 points. If you would like a larger serving size, 8 servings would be 6 points per piece. Be careful to not over bake this recipe.Serves 12 ( 4 points +)

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 medium peaches, sliced

3 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8 inch round springform pan with nonstick spray.Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. set aside.In a large bowl, beat butter and 1/4 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Spread dough by hand on the bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.Combine 3 T. sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Arrange peach slices in a spole pattern over the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Monday, May 19, 2014

This is probably one of the easiest meals I have made. It was so good that people had trouble stopping at one helping! I saw a similar recipe on Pinterest, but decided to add zucchini and also to measure out the ingredients so as to get an accurate points value. I hope you like it!serves 12 ( about 1 c. = 6 points +)

13 oz. Hillshire farm turkey smoked sausage

2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

2 bell peppers, sliced

2 c. onion, sliced

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped ( leave skins on)

3 T. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Spray a large jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray. Place sausage and veggies on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir twice during baking time.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

The marinade for the this steak is outstanding! I also like the fact that you only need to marinate the steak for 15-30 minutes! The salad was the perfect accompaniment to this "Thai" style meal.serves 8 ( 3 oz. steak with salad = 6 points +)Marinade:

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1 T. sugar

1 T. crushed ginger

1 T. crushed garlic

1 T. oyster sauce or fish sauce

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

1 ( 2 lb. ) flank steak

Salad:

3 T. lime juice

2 T. water

1 T. reduced-fat peanut butter

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

6 c. shredded Romaine lettuce

2 c. shredded cabbage

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 c. sliced green onions

1 mango, peeled and diced

Preheat grill to medium-high heatCombine marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Add steak and turn to coat. Marinate 15-30 minutes.Remove steak from marinade. Place on grill. Drizzle with any remaining marinade from the bag. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain.For salad, combine lime juice, water, peanut butter and crushed red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add Romaine, cabbage, cilantro and green onions. Toss to coat. Add mango and toss gently.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add peppers; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion and garlic; cook 10 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook until tomatoes wilt. Remove from heat, stir in basil, vinegar and 1/4 tsp. salt. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.Place chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off excess. Working in 2 batches, melt half of the butter in the skillet that was used for pepper mixture. Place half of the chicken in the skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat with remaining butter and chicken. Serve chicken with peperonata mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine first six ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined. Add cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.In a small bowl. combine the lemon zest, vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and gently stir together. Mixture may be sticky. Form into a disc and pat dough to about 1-1/4 inches thick. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut into 8 wedges. Bake 25 minutes or until light golden brown. You may have to cut through scones again to separate.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

The thing I love about this recipe is that roasted vegetables taste wonderful and are so easy to make! You can make the vegetables ahead of time and just stir them into the pasta before serving. This fresh-tasting, healthy meal is oh-so-satisfying!Serves 10 ( generous 1 c. = 8 points +)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place zucchini, carrots, onion and tomatoes on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 T. olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake 20-30 minutes, turning a couple times during baking. Remove from baking sheet and set aside.Boil pasta; drain. Place pasta in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 2 T. olive oil. Gently stir in vegetables and mozzarella pearls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and toss to coat.

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Who am I?

After having success following Weight Watchers and learning how to cook in a healthier manner, I started sharing my "Point-less" recipes with friends. That began back in 2007. With much encouragement, I have started this blog as a way to encourage others in healthy eating and possibly in their journey of weight loss. I believe in healthy food that tastes great! My family has tried each and every one of these recipes. Let me know if you try any and how you like them. Welcome to "Point-less Meals"!

Why be "Point-less"?

This "point-less" blog is to encourage people in their quest for healthy eating. In my opinion, healthy food has to taste great! These recipes have all been taste tested by my family and/or any unsuspecting visitors who may have stopped by! For those following Weight Watchers, I've assigned the point value and serving size to each recipe! Hence the name "Point-less Meals".